New scenography and signage for the Toggenburg sound trail

The Sound path is the flagship of the Toggenburg World of Sound. Over the past 20 years, the themed trail at the foot of the Churfirsten mountains has been visited by up to 50,000 people a year.

Under the leadership of Christian Zehnder, the artistic director of Klangwelt Toggenburg, the sound trail has been completely renewed and revised. The most beautiful and important works on the existing trail have been carefully restored. There are also twelve new works of sound art to discover. International sound artists have created diverse, exciting works that visitors are invited to explore, listen to and, of course, bring to life. Themes such as nature, soundscape, ecology, climate and mindfulness have been incorporated.

The newly developed scenography and signage consists of a modular system with bright yellow columns and round signs made of stainless steel. The bright poles are visible over long distances and thus also serve as signposting elements.

The signage is inspired by the marker poles on ski slopes and the orientation poles for snow plows on winter roads. It is therefore an aesthetic that is already very familiar in the local environment. The modularity of the individual elements means that the sound sculptures can be customized. The combination of the slender steles and the round signs is also reminiscent of musical notes that run through the landscape like a score.

Each of the 25 sound installations has an information sign on which the most important information about the respective station is visible. In addition, there are so-called "information islands" at particularly important places along the six-kilometre route, which also display general information and a large overview map.

The minimalist intervention, designed to have a long-distance effect, connects the various sound installations. At the same time, it blends in carefully with nature and subtly stages the soundscape between the individual installations.

For the Oberdorf chairlift, a separate "sound ride" was also developed by Idee und Klang, which forms an introduction or conclusion to the sound trail and can be accessed on site with a corresponding app on the phone.

The sound trail was officially opened at Whitsun with a sound festival featuring three concert evenings with internationally renowned musicians and a vernissage.

The signage of the sound trail is also a small preview of the new appearance of Klangwelt Toggenburg, which is currently being developed by Studio Marcus Kraft and will be published towards the end of 2024. The Klanghaus - currently still under construction - will then open in May 2025.

Artistic direction: Christian Zehnder. CEO sound world: Mirjam Hadorn. Sound scenography: Idea and sound audio design. Scenography space: Studio Frank Dittmann. Signage & graphic design: Studio Marcus Kraft. Texts Klangweg: Bettina Mittelstrass. Project management Klangcampus: Guy Loretan. Project management Klangwelt: Kathrin Dörig, Edi Hartmann. Accompanying construction: Christian Gauer.